The Vatican said Friday it had finished renovations on public restrooms just off St. Peter's Square that will include three showers and a free barber shop for the city's neediest. Each "homeless pilgrim," as the Vatican called the clients, will receive a kit including a towel, change of underwear, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor and shaving cream. The showers will be open every day but Wednesday, when the piazza is full for the pope's general audience. Haircuts will be available Mondays.
— Star Tribune

The sleek, clean facilities – with grey walls, white washbasins and a "hi-tech looking" barber's chair – opened two days ago. According to Pope Francis' chief alms-giver, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, the initiative is intended to help the homeless secure jobs and residences, something that is... View full entry »

The Santiago Calatrava: The Metamorphosis of Space exhibition celebrated its grand opening at the Braccio di Carlo Magno in Vatican City today.

Curated by Micol Forti of the Vatican Museums, the special exhibition presents over 140 artistic works of Calatrava, including his never-before-seen architectural models, sculptures, and watercolor drawings.
— bustler.net

The Vatican’s presence at the Biennale is the brainchild of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, an exuberant polymath who as president of the Pontifical Council for Culture since 2009 has tried to build bridges between the church and contemporary culture, two worlds that have often clashed.
— nytimes.com